HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS — Not all flops are created equal, as LeBron James and David West (above) and Lance Stephenson (below) illustrated in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The fines handed down by the league, however, came down the same. All three of those players were slapped with a $5,000 penalty for the extra flair they showed in their flops, Hollywood-worthy acting jobs in all three instances.

78 Comments

THE NBA NEEDS TO FINE REFS FOR BOGUS CALLS DURING GAMES AND FINE THE REFS FOR THE FLOP SITUATION BECAUSE THEY CALL IT AND STARTED IT AND THE EASY WAY TO GET OUT OF IS JUST LET THE GAME CONTINUE TO PLAY

will lebron get another fine for flopping in game 6 (trying to draw a charging foul from paul george). my hats off for the refs for seeing it for what it is and not blowing their whistle. one of the better officiated games in the finals. put the same refs for game 7, david!

If the league is serious about stopping the flopping then they should make it a techical foul and the refs should be instructed/encouraged to make the call on the floor. That way a guy gets two and he’s ejected. That makes an impact on the players and they will stop. Also, if the refs miss some and they likellythe league can review the game and give the tech that way the techs add up and result in a suspension which can really effect the team.
Also, as I understand it flopping is not falling to the floor per se. Flopping is dramatically overreacting to contact (or lack thereof) to try and fool the refs into making a call. It involves throwing the arms in the air and diving to the ground. It is poor sportsmanship and makes for a weak game.
Since one foul (or flop) can change the momentum of a game and have an effect on the outcome a few thousands in fines is not going to change a thing. It cant. For it to change the punishment must also be potentially game changing.

complaining about flop…. It’s been there way back…. longer than I’ve remember…. here’s some actors to name a few…. Vlade Divac,Shaq,Allen Iverson 90’s, Lakerss 80’s celtics 80’s pistons 80’s… some are genuine contacts but some were best actors’ flops… So don’t complain…. It’s been there already…

they all deserved it
players that make more should be fined more
maybe they should be fined in thousands of what they make in millions
say a player makes 10 million then they will be fined 10 grand sounds acceptable

how bout we watch the game tonight and let the star players of NBA, particiliarly this two competitive teams, to present a fun to watch basketball game tonight. Isn’t that what makes basketball a fun sport? Now if you wanna sit home and cry all day just watch some other sport than.

i just wish that james played in the early 90’s against the bad boys,knicks and pacers and he did the same
thing he is dong today…king james stop flopping and complaining when calls are not going your way…the nba then and
now is to soft and they cry about anything to the refs or the league. man up and play ball like men..tonight pacers are
playing 8 against 5 because refs will control the game and give Miami the advantage because they are the champs..
that’s why I don’t like the nba today

I am just hopiing they follow through on the head fakes fines (Dwyane Wade, Manu Ginobili) if they are following flopping. These guys still get away with it in the league. They should also call flopping on the calls they make on the floor not just non-calls.

James has been flopping all season and nobody on this blog or on T.V. has said anything about it. Now that the officiating has gotten too horrible to hide and ignore, this pathetic display of feigning fairness does nothing to adress any real sort of issue. Mainly the fact Miami and other teams have been getting preferential treatment all season to the point where their seeding and advancement hasn’t been earned anything close to fair. Miami isn’t the only team mind you. OKC is another. Lakers shouldn’t have made the playoffs, but still. Every game is being seen with a bigger and bigger microscope. It started with the Chicago series where a lot of people were angry about the bias Miami had working for them. Now it is starting up again in a series Miami should have probably been swept in. Eventually someone is going to grow a pair and the only question is, is it going to be a player/coach/etc or a sports journalist finally finding some integrity and doing their job? One hopes it’s both, and one hopes we can finally get some focus on the sport and not the scripted reality t.v. show this league has become.

If the flopping rules were in effect of last season the Thunder would have won. Queen James has always been a flopper and it shows today. KD nor Westbrook has not been warned of flopping this season, true street ball players.

The flopping fine in the NBA has been instituted not because they want to stop flopping, (they don’t want to stop flopping because they want some player to be able to flop, it a way that the refs can control the games) What the league does not want is for players to be able to MAKE the refs call the flops when they don’t want to, that’s why the league fines players for exaggerating the impact of the contact, because it forces refs into making calls they don’t want to make, especially against popular stars who the league want to keep in the game, the NBA is all about controlling the outcome of games for the betterment of the League, and whatever team they feel can generate the most revenue for the league will win, period, that’s why the level of officiating we see in these games is so bad, the league wants certain teams on top because of the money they can generate, that’s why there is no way I can be convinced that there was only ONE referee betting on NBA games, not when it is so easy for the refs to control the games..

I completely agree with ee. David Stern has been waiting too long to fine LeBron and Battier is the biggest flopper on the Heat. David West did not flop at all and should not have been fined. In my opinion, I think the fine should be 10K because these players make over a million a year and 5K is as much as 20 dollars to me personally.

Agreed, no “clear message has been sent.” Lebron makes 250K/game from his contract alone, which doesn’t count endorsements or money he makes from safe investments. 5K is a joke to professional athletes. Should be one game suspension without pay.

I agree with ac. I just the posted the same. Flopping calls on these 3 were correct. Let the refs call it or review it right then and there and treat it similar to a flagrant 1 at least, if not a flag 2. They also can review at the break or end of game if they want to. They make a foll out of everyone and it should be harshly treated.

thank you david stern about time lebron got fined for one of his 20 flops this series, shane battier is surely next he is up to about 30. not sure why david west was fined though he plays like a human male should

Agree,a T on the spot free throw and then ball possession…you can give them fines but that’s nothing to NBA players,they’re getting paid a lot of money…give them a tech,two techs from flopping,give them a suspension with no pay…

So let me get this straight: Battier was not fined for any of his flops. Dwyane Wade was not fined for flopping out of bounds. Dwyane Wade was not suspended. Ok, gotcha. Also, we all know that if David West had stood his ground on the supposed double-flop that the refs would have just called a foul on him because LeBron was on the ground.

I predicted he would ref yesterday. Typical pattern:
Step 1: Heat legitimately lose a game
Step 2: Heat publically complain about calls or claim non-basketball plays were committed against them
Step 3: They are not fined for such criticism, but in the next game Danny Crawford or Marc Davis officiate in Miami and make sure no more wrongs are committed against the Heat
Step 4: Heat win the next game

Hahah you are pathetic. Sure Miami might lose or win game 6 but still you cant say anything about foul calling, James and Wade handles the ball most of the time but where as KG Pierce and Rondo do. I do see how odd that is but still that is not a fact sorry.

It is not moronic at all. Remember this post when you watch the game tonight. If you watched last year’s ECF you would know this is the case. It looked the Cs were going to win a game so Danny Crawford called KG for a tech without a prior delay of game warning, called Ray Allen for a tech because he turned away and said “No”, and they blatantly ignored a foul against Rondo that would have won Game 2. Additionally, LeBron and Wade combined for 20+ free throws and Rondo and Pierce never attempted one. What is listed above is the general pattern and Danny Crawford is always the head official. Scoff if you want, but those are the facts.

Just look at the starters’ fouls for both teams and tell me that Indiana had the same amount of foul trouble. Lebron got 4 fouls in just the 4th quarter! Give Hibbert that many in the last quarter while having all other starters with at least 4 and the other team has only 3 people with 4 or more fouls. doesn’t seem bad, but if George had 5 instead of 4 and Hibbert fouled out basically in the last quarter, wouldn’t you be saying that the Heat got all the calls? actually you guys did that after game 3 even though Miami still had more fouls called on them.

Joey or Stafford. But it is not a punishment. The game should be called the same from minute 1 to minute 48. It was a foul. He fouls just like every other player in the NBA. Paul George and Lance Stephenson were in foul trouble the whole game.

So let’s get this right. None of Battier’s flops have resulted in a fine. Dwyane falling out of bounds with no one around did not result in a fine. Dwyane jacking Stephenson in the head did not result in a suspension. Ok, just so I have that straight. We all know that if David had not turned around like that the refs would have called a foul on him. If he stood his ground and LeBron was on the ground, David would have been whistled.

Typically, the only time flopping fines get handed out is when they get tweeted about a lot or get lots of views on youtube or ESPN. Even so, Battier has been on the ground an awful lot in this series. If you watch carefully, he also face guards and plays illegal defense much of the time.

Probably because he’s playing guys much bigger than him in West, Hansbrough and Hibbert. He’s not flopping, he’s trying to draw the foul or get the call. Flopping is when you are excessive with trying to get a foul call. Like when there’s absolutely no contact but you are acting like you got hit.

All of these figures are based on quick googling, but are probably pretty close. James is worth about 110 million. So 5000/110000000 = about 0.0045% of his net worth. CNN reports the median net worth in the US is around 77,000. Seems a little high, but even at that figure, that would mean 5,000 to LeBron would be about $3.50. Or if you’re 25-34 like LeBron then avg net worth is closer to 50K meaning 5K to him would be about $2.27 to you and me. So that would be like the police expecting a $2 speeding ticket to keep people from speeding.

That’s because his flopping hasn’t reached the level of 20k or 30k fines, if there is such thing. And I don’t think LeBron wants to lose 5k, even if it’s just “15$”. At least he got fined, so that shows that the NBA aren’t turning a blind eye

I can understand Lebron and West fine but Lance was an instinct reflex bc he thought Ray was going to hit him with and elbow so he was dodging it. Thats a waste of $5K, sorry Lance. Pacers must win tonight to show the world they’re a capable bunch!